k-hawinkler Posted July 20, 2011 Share #1 Posted July 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) For these investigations I have been using a • MacBookPro5,2 running • Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K540) with • 64-bit Kernel and Extensions. The Memory Card I used is from Leica's recommended list, namely a: SanDisk Video HD 16GB class4. Please see M9 FAQ here Leica Camera AG - Downloads. Furthermore I have been using the following software: • Disk Utility 11.5.2 • TinkerTool 4.5 • BlueHarvest Service 4.0.7 In TinkerTool I have used the option: Show hidden and system files. Procedure: • Format memory card inside M9, camera not attached to anything. • Mount memory card in M9 via USB connection Mass storage. • This is the resulting file directory on the memory card: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! • Next step, Erase the still USB attached memory card with Disk Utility, Format: MS-DOS (FAT), Name: LEICA M9. • This is the resulting file directory on the memory card: Please, note there is now a .Spotlight directory. There isn't a DCIM/100Leica directory. • Next step Start BlueHarvest. • The BlueHarvest System Preferences panel should look like this: • Now right click on LEICA M9 card to eject properly. That's important. • Switch M9 off. • Wait a little bit. • Switch M9 back on. •¨This is the resulting directory. It seems we are back to square 1 - unless I screwed up. Happens to the best of us from time to time! It's an identical file system/directory structure as we got originally by formatting in the M9. BTW, you get the same end result if Erasing the memory card in a card reader on the Mac. Now you don't need to fly blind with what kind of unknown junk is on your memory card. Have fun. As an exercise, for example find out what happens when you don't Start BlueHarvest... Of course, you also can set the hardware switch on the memory card to prohibit the Mac from writing to the card. At least now you can see what's on the card. I have been performing all kinds of torture tests to crash my M9. No luck today. Just wouldn't die. That doesn't mean anything. My M9 has indeed an intermittent problem that probably would be hard for Leica to catch unless they fix their bug(s) first. Best, K-H. Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! • Next step, Erase the still USB attached memory card with Disk Utility, Format: MS-DOS (FAT), Name: LEICA M9. • This is the resulting file directory on the memory card: Please, note there is now a .Spotlight directory. There isn't a DCIM/100Leica directory. • Next step Start BlueHarvest. • The BlueHarvest System Preferences panel should look like this: • Now right click on LEICA M9 card to eject properly. That's important. • Switch M9 off. • Wait a little bit. • Switch M9 back on. •¨This is the resulting directory. It seems we are back to square 1 - unless I screwed up. Happens to the best of us from time to time! It's an identical file system/directory structure as we got originally by formatting in the M9. BTW, you get the same end result if Erasing the memory card in a card reader on the Mac. Now you don't need to fly blind with what kind of unknown junk is on your memory card. Have fun. As an exercise, for example find out what happens when you don't Start BlueHarvest... Of course, you also can set the hardware switch on the memory card to prohibit the Mac from writing to the card. At least now you can see what's on the card. I have been performing all kinds of torture tests to crash my M9. No luck today. Just wouldn't die. That doesn't mean anything. My M9 has indeed an intermittent problem that probably would be hard for Leica to catch unless they fix their bug(s) first. Best, K-H. ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/157376-m9mac-memory-card-formatting-differences/?do=findComment&comment=1739991'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 20, 2011 Posted July 20, 2011 Hi k-hawinkler, Take a look here M9/Mac Memory Card Formatting Differences. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
hoppyman Posted July 20, 2011 Share #2 Posted July 20, 2011 Karl-Heinz, I don't follow what you are trying to do there exactly. Format your card in your camera. Delete some or all files in your camera. Read cards in a dedicated reader, be it integral or plug in. Don't cut and paste from the card when connected to your computer. Don't delete files from the card with your computer. Don't use an attached USB lead. Anything your Mac does is peripheral (that is to say not the right way to manage cards for your camera). I don't know what bugs in the M9 you are referring to though. Mine behaves impeccably. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwbell Posted July 20, 2011 Share #3 Posted July 20, 2011 I don't know what bugs in the M9 you are referring to though. Mine behaves impeccably. Geoff, whilst I always respect your input in these threads, can you see how counter-productive and unnecessary your last sentence is? I never get headaches. Doesn't mean I don't sympathise with my wife who does. ;-) I have had my camera exhibit very infrequent bug like behaviour. 3 times in 10 months and I think 5k actuations? So whilst I'm happy that you never have a freeze or a lock out of any sort or a lost image - can I ask you to offer those of us that occasionally do the courtesy of discussing it without such derisive comments? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted July 20, 2011 Share #4 Posted July 20, 2011 Geoff-- IIRC, in another thread someone asked whether using a USB cable instead of card-reader to transfer files from the M9 could prevent the computer's writing anything to the card. I think Karl-Heinz is just illustrating that some (temporary?) files still get written to the card even with this procedure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted July 20, 2011 Share #5 Posted July 20, 2011 ...Delete some or all files in your camera...Don't cut and paste from the card when connected to your computer. Don't delete files from the card with your computer... Why so if i may ask? USB card readers work well nowadays and there are slots for SD cards in some computers. It is handy to cut and paste or delete files with the latters so where is the danger exactly? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppyman Posted July 20, 2011 Share #6 Posted July 20, 2011 Clearly you do need a card reader, integral with the computer or connected via USB. I suggest those rather than using a direct cable connection to the camera. The Forum sees posts periodically from people that have problems with formatting/deleting etc. My suggestions are just a baseline, proven approach. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwbell Posted July 20, 2011 Share #7 Posted July 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Geoff, with respect your suggestions are just that, suggestions. Like a serving suggestion. As you haven't had problems with your camera you maybe haven't been following the other threads closely. I can assure you that your "proven approach" is forum myth. I've been following all your guidelines and in fact operate an even more robust regime and I've still had those three problems. It's frustrating to those who do have this problem to be continually told by other members that "mine's fine". It is completely un-helpfull and incorrectly implies stupidity / user error. It's a shame to me that in one enlightening thread Chris Tribble can ask "how is my rangefinder misaligned" and produce a fascinating thread where the knowledge shared benefits everyone, yet when we who have SD trouble want to explore the problems the usual suspects come chiming in to defend their perfect functioning M9's. Do you not see the discourtesy of it? I didn't jump into Chris' thread and say "what misalignment? Mine's perfect straight from the factory!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted July 20, 2011 Share #8 Posted July 20, 2011 Clearly you do need a card reader, integral with the computer or connected via USB. I suggest those rather than using a direct cable connection to the camera... So do i. I would fear to damage the camera and/or the SD card in case of battery problem or for any other reason. Now formatting memory cards or copying and pasting files outside the camera do not pose any problem with my M8.2 and other digital cameras. I have no experience with the M9 though. Perhaps the latter is more fragile or less Mac-compatible, i don't know. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share #9 Posted July 20, 2011 Why so if i may ask? USB card readers work well nowadays and there are slots for SD cards in some computers. It is handy to cut and paste or delete files with the latters so where is the danger exactly? Hi lct, Exactly, very good questions. My brilliant primary care physician not only tells me what I have to do, but also why, and makes every effort to answer my questions so that I not only follow the letter but also the spirit of his recommendations. Why not practice the same kind of understanding and scrutiny with regards to the M9. This forum does exactly that for the photographic / optical aspects. Why not for the electronic ones as well? So please let me examine a little bit closer the history of USB and the M9. First, there is a USB port on my M9. IIRC, my M9 also came with an USB cable. Why did Leica supply that if they didn't want me to use that? It's true, there were some initial reliability problems with transferring data from the M9 to my computer, using the supplied cable and using the camera setting USB connection Mass storage. I forgot when it was, before or after the first M9 firmware update (we have had updates 1.002, 1.138, and 1.162 AFAIK), that someone on this forum correctly pointed out that using USB connection PTP instead worked reliably to transfer images from the M9 to my Macs. I have done that since and never encountered a problem. Later, after Leica fixed the bugs in the USB connection Mass storage part, I switched over to using that as well and have not encountered a problem either. You are right, for me it is a very convenient way to manage the image transfer and to maintain a healthy set of SD cards. First initial bad impressions are hard to overcome - not just for a Leica M9 camera's USB connectivity. However, continually badmouthing (not you, of course) the M9 for issues, that have long been resolved, are not helpful and certainly not in Leica's best interest. Every M9 user has to decide for herself / himself what is most convenient and useful. Depending on the circumstances I use both a USB cable or a card reader without any issues. Best, K-H. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
businessasusual Posted July 21, 2011 Share #10 Posted July 21, 2011 I have printed this off for tech notes. Have one question - doing it on Mac - does this speed up the formatting because it takes FOREVER on my M9? That would be the only reason I would use the Mac. (I have done all in M9 to date and used Card Reader and as per Geoff's comment - never had an issue, ever - so bit nervous about the if it ain't broke.) Thanks in advance. : Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share #11 Posted July 21, 2011 Hi Karina, Thanks for the question. I go by if it ain't broke don't fix it as well most of the time. It depends. Let me explain. It normally depends on the speed of the slower device. Typically that is the memory card and not the card reader. The M9 is a bit different in this regard. I have a question for you though. In the M9 one can format a memory card two ways, namely: • Yes or • Overwrite. What do you use? The Yes option only should take a few seconds. The Overwrite option can take on the order of a half hour, depending on the speed of the memory card. If one uses a slow memory card then there is no advantage to format in the card reader on the Mac. BTW, unless you want to make it hard to impossible to retrieve deleted images from your memory card then there really is no reason to choose other than the Yes option in the M9. On a Mac you have the option to overwrite the memory card many times which takes for ever. So, I almost never use that. I see the main benefit of my initial post as information to help folks become more comfortable and have more tools available to examine what's going on inside the memory card in their M9. If and when folks encounter problems it's important to be as precise as possible in the description. That helps everybody. I also want to counter the notion that somehow a computer or its operating system is the culprit for M9 problems folks have. Best, K-H. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
businessasusual Posted July 21, 2011 Share #12 Posted July 21, 2011 Hi Karina, I have a question for you though. In the M9 one can format a memory card two ways, namely: • Yes or • Overwrite. What do you use? The Yes option only should take a few seconds. The Overwrite option can take on the order of a half hour, depending on the speed of the memory card. Best, K-H. Thanks for taking the time. Occasionally I overwrite - thinking this will defrag etc and that takes forver. I have used "Yes" most of the time. OK, you have answered my question - I'll use Yes and every 6 months do "Overwrite". Have never used Mac to formats acrds and they all work well. Thanks, again! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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